The battle between Adrienne Maloof of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and her estranged husband, Dr. Paul Nassif, has become seriously ugly.

On Wednesday, a judge granted Maloof temporary custody of the three sons she shares with Nassif after Maloof accused him of physically abusing their boys in several incidents, according to TMZ.

Married for 10 years, hotel mogul Maloof and plastic surgeon Nassif, both 50, filed for divorce in late August, one month after announcing their separation. They share sons Gavin, 9, twins Colin and Christian, 6.

At Wednesday's court appearance, which Maloof did not attend, her lawyer filed a declaration claiming that Nassif choked one of the boys as they were roughhousing during an after-school incident last Thursday. Later that day, while the boys were taking a bath, Nassif was said to have spanked one of the boys and thrown him in the corner.

Two other declarations -- one from the couple's longtime chef and another from a DEA agent friend -- alleged that Nassif kicked the family dog and was seen putting his hands around the neck of one of his children in another incident.

Speaking on Nassif's behalf, attorney Lisa Meyer denied all of the allegations.

"This smacks of underhandedness. Adrienne wasn't even present when this allegedly occurred," Meyer told TMZ. "It is a sad day when parents have to stoop to the level of making false allegations against another parent."

Back in July, before either had filed for divorce, Maloof seemed more optimistic about an amicable split. Speaking with Us Weekly, she said, "I'm hoping for the best. Our children come first and we'll see. ... My personality has always been really balanced, and I remember where my priorities lie, which is with my children. So when you have that in mind, I think everything else kind of falls into place."